Seven Seas Beacon Fire

For the people of the Federation now, it feels like they are fighting a zombie – even though the Ming Empire has been abolished, and the emperor and the Left Censor-in-Chief, who was originally from the royal family, perished together in the Yingtianfu Incident, the damned Ming army is still fighting them.

Yes, now, whether on land or at sea, the armed forces still fighting the West are still fighting under the banner of the Ming army. These Ming soldiers are like headless warriors, making it hard for the Federation people to see where this war will end.

It's not easy to leave the federal people feeling somewhat confused.

Because the Federation of this era was, in fact, the most innocent... and also the most eccentric among the Western countries.

It is said to be naive because at this time, most of the citizens of the Federation were indeed naive to a certain extent. They were among the few citizens of the world's major powers who liked to divide countries into "good countries" and "bad countries". Moreover, they were very confident in their own values. However, in recent years, the people of the Federation have increasingly believed that they are the city on the hill chosen by God.

The current Union is the one that has endured the most war casualties in its history. The old folks from the Civil War era are still alive, and the people of the Union, especially those in the South, know all too well what a war without limits would be like.

The new generation of Federation people has provided the country with an expanded population and industrial base. No matter which way these Federation people look, the "evil" Allied Group still has one country that has not fallen. Therefore, the dragon-slaying warrior cannot stop wielding his sword.

For the federal elites, who have a clearer perspective—they also do not want to end the war. Leaving aside superficial questions like how much their businesses can benefit from the war, the federal elites have discovered that the biggest problem is that after paying a huge price, the federal people have not gained enough benefits from this war.

Because the Commonwealth intervened in World War I earlier than in history, they fought alongside Victoria and Gaul on the Western Front for several years, albeit in a supporting role. However, they still lost hundreds of thousands of Commonwealth soldiers, making it the second deadliest war for the Commonwealth.

Not to mention, the Federal Navy has suffered setbacks from the very beginning of the war on the high seas. Despite its current firm grip on dominance in the Western Pacific, a closer look at its combat record reveals…

Which country can't even win a battle without a big brother leading it?

Which country lost all of its battlecruisers within two years of starting the war?

Which navy unit was mostly slacking off in the final crucial battle, with the main DPS being dealt by the big brother?

In short, given this frustrating situation, if the Federation cannot truly swallow some big pieces of meat, they might actually be prepared to continue this war in a protracted manner.

Just like in the final stages of a tug-of-war, both sides are essentially competing to see who can hold on the longest.

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Akiko Tokugawa peered curiously through the train window at the magnificent Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, currently the largest and longest bridge in Asia. This dual-purpose road and rail bridge connected the north and south banks of the ancient empire, which had been separated by the Yangtze River.

As the little princess of the Tokugawa family, Akiko Tokugawa had a life of luxury since childhood, but she had never had the opportunity to see such a magnificent super building when she was in Yingzhou, which made her mouth open slightly.

However, the once comfortable life was gradually fading away from her. Now, at the age of 28, Tokugawa Akiko had already experienced the hardships of the retreat from the mainland of Japan to Silla. After following the army of the Celestial Empire to Silla, the living conditions of the Tokugawa family plummeted. Some family members even expressed regret for following the Ming army. If they had surrendered to the Emperor and given up their power, they could at least have been wealthy men in Japan.

Why should we live like this, like a rootless duckweed, dependent on others for survival?

Fortunately, after a period of hardship, the days finally came to an end. With the Prince of Jin leading his troops into the capital, the Tokugawa family was finally able to establish a connection with the most powerful prince in the country.

From that time on, her father would call her over and solemnly tell her that he would do his best to send Tokugawa Akiko to a man's side, and that Tokugawa Akiko's task was to maintain her beauty and serve that man's daily needs.

The eldest daughter of the Tokugawa family has to serve another man like a servant. This would be hard to accept in Japan, but in China, the man she has to face is the grandson of the Prince of Jin. He is not only young but also talented and handsome. More importantly, he has a grandfather who is highly regarded by the people and is the most likely candidate to ascend to the throne in China.

When that time came, this grandson of the emperor would transform into the crown prince.

They were about to reach Yingtianfu when a gentle female voice came from behind Tokugawa Akiko. Tokugawa Akiko heard the voice calling her by her childhood name, so she quickly looked away from the window and, dressed in a kimono, took small steps to approach a woman who looked intellectual and elegant.

"Your Highness, did you want to see me?"

Akiko Tokugawa speaks Chinese very well. Although you can hear some stiff pauses in her tone, similar to Japanese, her accent is so good that it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Through their interactions over the past few days, the Crown Princess has developed a great fondness for this young girl from Yingzhou.

Akiko Tokugawa was exceptionally beautiful from birth, and thus was raised from a young age as a tool for political marriage. Her service was indeed very comfortable and enjoyable; one can only say that professionals are professionals.

"We're almost at Yingtian Prefecture. It's a pity my silly boy won't be there these next few days. But if he knew that your Tokugawa family has produced such a beautiful woman like you, he would definitely come to see you."

Like most mothers her age, the Crown Princess can easily steer the conversation towards marriage and having children within three sentences.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Boiling Blood (1)

Although the Tokugawa Shogunate sent Tokugawa Akiko over with political motives, hoping to curry favor with the Prince of Jin's family.

However, these are issues that men need to consider. In the eyes of the Crown Princess, these are not matters. The Crown Princess is just an ordinary young lady from a humble family. She can only be described as coming from a scholarly family. She doesn't understand or care about matters of state, politics, or marriage.

After all, her relationship with Li Renzhi wasn't exactly a free love affair, but they're living happily ever after. The Crown Princess is very satisfied with Tokugawa Akiko. She's beautiful, has a good personality, and seems to be a respectful, gentle, and virtuous person. I think she's called a Yamato Nadeshiko in Japan.

Moreover, her family's influence overseas also saved her a lot of trouble.

Before the train arrived at the station, Tokugawa Akiko chatted with the Crown Princess, and in her words, the Crown Princess seemed to express not only her longing for her husband and children, but also a slight aversion to the city of Yingtianfu.

After all, the whole world is saying that Prince Jin, Li Zongdi, is just one step away from becoming emperor. If Prince Jin really takes that step, then she will become the Crown Princess, and in the future, she may even become the Empress. There are very few people in the world who can remain calm under such circumstances.

The Crown Princess doesn't know how to face the future, but in any case, the decision-making power is not in her hands as a woman. So, in a way, the Crown Princess's desire to find a wife for her son is also a way to divert her attention.

No matter what happens in the future, it's never wrong for a mother to hope that her child will settle down and start a family as soon as possible, right?

However, the Crown Princess was completely ignorant of politics. When Tokugawa Akiko realized that the Crown Princess liked her, she was not overjoyed because she knew very well that although she was sent to the Crown Prince's side for political reasons, it did not count as a political marriage.

Since the Ming Dynasty entered the modern era, laws in all aspects have become increasingly perfect, and the marriage law has also been revised several times. The status of concubine has disappeared from the law. Apart from the emperor, only princes and other members of the imperial family are qualified to take concubines legitimately. Otherwise, they can only be called "Madam XX", just like the "concubines" in the common people who do not have a formal marriage relationship.

If the Tokugawa Shogunate still controlled the entire island of Japan, then she might indeed be qualified to become the principal wife of the Prince of Jin's grandson. However, firstly, the Tokugawa Shogunate is now nothing more than a defeated dog, and secondly... given that the Prince of Jin's family is likely to become the royal family of the new empire in the future, she might become the grandson of the third emperor, and his empress must be Chinese.

This strong national identity was forged by the Ming Dynasty over nearly 600 years and through two instances of saving China from collapse. In the 21st century, how can you see netizens labeling each other during online exchanges, with some being labeled as Han chauvinists? But in this era, no one will label you that—because here, it is the greatest political correctness, and everyone is a Han chauvinist.

Before arriving, Tokugawa Akiko had been repeatedly instructed by her father that Yingzhou used to be the dog of the Ming Dynasty, and now the Tokugawa family was even more of a stray dog. Their purpose was to be a good dog for the Li family, and as a dog, one should not have too many delusions.

The words were harsh, but Tokugawa Akiko felt that her father's words were very practical and useful, making his position clear to everyone.

When the train stopped at the platform, Tokugawa Akiko helped the Crown Princess off the train. However, after the Crown Princess arrived at the train station platform, she began to look around, searching for something. It was clear that the Crown Princess was looking for Lee In-chi. She must have thought that her husband would come to the platform to pick her up. After all, the two had a very good relationship, and the Crown Prince usually came to pick up his wife in person because of their mutual understanding.

However, the Crown Princess could only see the Imperial Guards sent by the Crown Prince to pick her up from the platform.

"Where is the Crown Prince?" the Crown Princess asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The Crown Prince should be with His Highness Prince Jin right now." The Jinyiwei official who was assigned to pick up the Crown Prince's wife and protect her safety stepped forward and replied, "The Crown Prince originally intended to come and pick up His Highness in person, but he was unable to do so today."

Upon hearing that Li Renzhi had gone to see the old man, the Crown Princess nodded. This was probably the busiest time for the father and son. Although half a month had passed since they led the troops into the capital, the two of them were only busier now. The Crown Princess could tell this from the number and frequency of the letters the Crown Prince sent back to him.

The Crown Princess nodded, but she subconsciously asked another question: "Do you know what the Crown Prince wanted to do with the Prince?"

The Imperial Guard shook his head upon hearing this: "We are from the field team, so we don't know about that. However, when the young master went out today... he took two bows with him. Perhaps he was going to ask the Prince to practice archery?"

Archery?

At this critical juncture, do these two really have the leisure and time to play archery?

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With a whooshing sound of an arrow cutting through the wind and a dull, powerful impact, an arrow resembling a short spear struck the bullseye. However, the target, which was temporarily found and usually used for ordinary recurve bows, was clearly too strained for the powerful arrows fired from such a heavy war bow. The target looked as if it could be cleaved in two more arrows.

Li Zongdi shook his wrist, nodded in satisfaction at his accurate shot that hit the bullseye, and turned to look at Li Renchi: "I never expected that there would still be such a good Ming bow in this day and age... There are probably not many craftsmen in the whole country who can make this kind of bow and arrow these days, are there?"

The Ming bow that Li Zongdi is holding is the famous Qing bow in another timeline. Of course, regardless of the timeline, this kind of bow and arrow actually originated from the Ming army before the Longwu reign. As the strongest war bow in human history, this thing was still one of the main equipment of the Ming army in the 8th century. It was not until the end of the 8th century that it was completely eliminated from the equipment sequence of the Ming army.

Those in the know understand that the official Ming bow is actually a well-hidden two-section reverse bow.

The head and string rest of the Ming bow are modeled after the first section of the bow's frame in a Turkish bow, needing to withstand the enormous tensile force when the bow is drawn. This is a very difficult craft to manufacture. The long tip of the Qing bow is only equivalent to the second section of the Turkish bow's frame. Medieval long-tipped bows, however, do not have a head; they are simply a single piece joined together. In reality, their manufacturing difficulty is four to five times less than that of the Qing bow!

That's why the King of Jin was amazed that it was still possible to find craftsmen who could make such bows and arrows. Nowadays, bows and arrows are basically just used as tools for entertainment and hunting, and the customer base is very narrow (there are definitely more people who like guns than bows), so there are not many people who know how to make such bows and arrows.

Because the precision and absurdity of the Ming bow's joints are quite exaggerated among bows and arrows, if an unskilled craftsman tries to make one, the bow, if not precise enough, will twist and knock the user unconscious when fully drawn.

Li Zongdi weighed the bow and arrow in his hand a few times. Prince Jin was an absolute hunting enthusiast, and he loved both bows and arrows and firearms. His eldest son had really hit the nail on the head today. To give an analogy, it was like your future son suddenly buying you the latest Bandai Gundam. At this moment, in addition to being happy, you would definitely also feel wary—was this kid going to get his parents called in again, or did he fail his test again?

Although Li Renzhi has always been the kind of good kid that everyone admires, his behavior today is really too abnormal. Could it be that this kid has gotten into some trouble recently?

What surprised Li Zongdi even more was that his eldest son also picked up a bow. Of course, it was a bit of a stretch to ask his somewhat frail eldest son to play with a Ming bow, so Li Renzhi picked up an ordinary recurve bow.

Li Renchi casually drew an arrow from his sword quiver, and while nocking the arrow, he said in a nonchalant tone, "Does that mean I can't invite Father here to shoot arrows, have some fun, and relax, as long as I haven't done anything wrong?"

"I know you never come here unless you have something to say. I have something to do later and can't keep you company for long. I suggest you say what you have to say now, or just spit it out."

After saying that, Li Zongdi saw the arrow that the crown prince had shot fly into his target. He shook his head helplessly: "Hold your hand steady. How can you hit the target if you can't even hold it steady?"

Li Renchi took a deep breath. This time, he held the bow firmly and maintained the traditional, somewhat ugly, archery posture. With a whoosh, he released the arrow. Although it didn't hit the center this time, it was still a successful shot.

However, the Crown Prince's main focus was clearly not on archery. After hitting the target, Li Renzhi turned to face his father and said, "Father, I heard that you drove away the British ambassador and almost hit him."

"Who said I was going to hit anyone?" The old man snorted twice in dissatisfaction after hearing his son's words. "Don't I know basic diplomatic etiquette? How could I possibly go and hit a diplomat from another country?"

"But I heard that you threw your glove in someone's face, and Mr. Jordan was so angry that his face turned red."

Hearing this, Li Zongdi smiled smugly: "It's a pity that the bastard didn't even dare to pick up the glove I threw out in the end. Isn't this glove-throwing duel a normal etiquette for Westerners? It's just a pity that I met a coward today."

“Father, that’s not a coward. He knows what he should do as a diplomat. You should also understand what you need to do in your current position.”

What is the most important thing I need to do right now?

“It’s about leading us to victory in this war—or at least ensuring we don’t lose.” Li Renzhi said earnestly, “The Victorians have taken the initiative to have their ambassador contact us. Considering that the Victorians recently sent three battlecruisers here, it’s clear that the Victorians are preparing to make private contact with us. Perhaps we can reach a ceasefire agreement with the Victorians, so that we can focus our main efforts on the Federation. Right now, the Federation is our biggest enemy, the real top priority. I don’t need to say these things; Father, you should understand.”

“Of course I understand.” Li Zongdi’s face gradually darkened. “But those Victorians clearly see me as a desperate man. What’s worse, they’re asking us to cede the entire Old Port Pacification Commission… Do you think I can agree to that?”

Even now, all I can recall are the images from the final battle of Singapore Fortress, published in the newspapers. How could you expect me to agree to the Victorian demands? If I did, how could I face those fallen heroes after I die?

“Father, the outcome of our battles with the Commonwealth will largely depend on the performance of our navy. Cheer also told me before that the Victorians have the largest fleet of battlecruisers in the world, and they pose the greatest threat to us.”

Not to mention that the Leitanian High Seas Fleet has already surrendered. Last November, the fleet's warships were already heading to Scapa Flow to await their division... Including the five battlecruisers in the Leitanian's possession, if the Victorians wanted, they could send more than a dozen battlecruisers to deal with us.

Father, I know making this decision is humiliating, but even Han Xin endured the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs, so should we...

"I don't want to be Han Xin! Besides, even if Han Xin crawled between someone's legs, he didn't crawl between the legs of the Victorians. I'm just too stubborn! My back and knees just won't bend!" Li Zongdi interrupted his eldest son with a hint of anger: "If the Victorians want to fight, I'll fight them too! If they blockade the sea and I can't swim across, then I'll lead my men across the Indochina Peninsula to Balat!"

“Bharat is independent now, Father.”

P.S.: Speaking of which, after our discussions in this book, we decided to let Bharat gain independence ahead of schedule, just to show that the Victorians kept their promise. After all, historically, the Victorians promised to give Bharat independence after World War I.

As for why Bharat should be allowed to become independent?

That's because navies around the world have a lot of interesting warships, but most of these warships are not something that any country with a sound mind would buy. However, if they don't build them, they feel that something is missing from naval history.

Therefore, I think we need a third brother.

I've already figured out the first battleship the Balat people will build themselves: the first ship will be the Virat, the second the Vikrant, and the third will naturally be the Vikramaditya.

perfect!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Boiling Blood (2) A Nation's Loyal Ministers

Li Renchi's words made the old man's hand tremble as he drew the bowstring. As a result, the arrow that was supposed to hit the bullseye landed on the edge of the target instead. The arrow shot from the Ming bow (Qing bow), which was considered the MK7 of bows, was a standard "low-speed, super-heavy arrow." It flipped the entire target over, and a corner of the target plate was chipped off.

Bharat has become independent.

The news of Bharat's independence actually arrived on the second day after Li Zongdi launched the Jingnan Campaign. However, at that time, no one in the country cared about the independence of a foreign colony, even though this colony was a very special existence in the world.

Compared to the First World War in another world, the scope and intensity of this World War are incomparable to those of the other world. The First World War in the other world is only worthy of being called the European War in comparison to the World War of this world.

Therefore, facing this unprecedented war with higher intensity and greater investment, the Victorian Empire also paid a higher price. The Victorians could not do without a large number of Barat troops in the ground battlefields of Europe, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. No matter how much the fighting spirit of these Barat troops was worse than that of the original Victorian army, it was better to have them than not.

Especially in the East, in fact, from the 9th century onwards, in a series of clashes between the Victorian Empire and the Ming Empire, the Victorians always tried to use their navy to control the Ming at sea, while the Ming always used their army to threaten Barath from the ground to control Britain.

Gallic newspapers at the time described the confrontation between the two empires in the East as a situation where each side was holding the other's balls in their hands.

What's surprising is that the Victorians would use this method of cutting off their own testicles to avoid being threatened by their enemies with their own testicles.

Well, that's just an exaggerated joke. In this world, Barat's independence was not abrupt. From the 9th century onwards, the Victorian Empire in this world faced more and stronger challengers than in the other world. Therefore, the Victorian Empire's exploitation of the land of Barat was also more severe than in the other timeline.

Following the even more dramatic Barat Uprising, the Victorians began to govern this most valuable British colony using a combination of soft and hard tactics. Furthermore, in the midst of a series of arms races with countries including Letania in the beginning of this century, they continued to make promises to Barat, guaranteeing it the status of a dominion in the future.

However, in the more brutal world war, since the Victorians wanted to obtain more soldiers and resources from Bharat, they needed to offer a higher price than the autonomous dominion. Obviously, granting Bharat independent status became almost inevitable under these circumstances.

Of course, a seasoned colonial power, an imperialist troublemaker, and a master of international diplomacy like Britain would certainly not fail to dig a pit for the independence of Bharat in advance. The Gauls were able to allow their colonies to gain independence in Africa after World War II while continuing to be the uncrowned kings of Africa. The Victorians were also able to let the Bharat people experience what it was like to be the son of Emperor Qianlong.

Many important industries and resources in Barrath now bear the strong imprint of British capital, including railways, mines, and factories. The large number of "honorary Victorians" cultivated by the Victorians during the colonial period in Barrath are still able to extract considerable benefits for Britain in Barrath, and Britain does not have to bear the cost of governing Barrath.

Although it is obvious to anyone with eyes to see that Barat has not yet completely broken free from British control, in name only, Barat has indeed transformed from a region composed of hundreds of princely states on the Barat continent into a country forcibly formed by the Victorians.

This rendered the traditional approach of threatening the Victorians by threatening the Barat people in the Ming Dynasty ineffective, just as you cannot threaten a eunuch with the monkey stealing peaches in a traditional martial arts duel.

They've lost their genitals!

"The Victorians can just declare independence with a flick of their lips? I can fight them back! We'll see who suffers then." The old man stood with his hands on his hips, gritting his teeth, practically stamping his foot. "I hate being threatened more than anything in my life, especially when it comes to threatening me with national interests. Do the Victorians think they can force me to submit by doing this?!"

“Father, don’t say anything rash at this time.” Li Renzhi sighed and advised, “Let’s not even talk about how much pressure we will have to supply the ground forces when we attack Bharat. If we just want to teach them a lesson by force, even if we win a few battles, we will have to withdraw afterward. The Victorians can just ignore it, because no one in the British government needs to take responsibility if independent Bharat is attacked.”

"But if we were to decide to completely occupy Bharat, forcibly taking over a modern nation with awakened national consciousness, the governance pressure we would face would be immense, both in terms of security and the burden of population..."

"Can Bharatna be called a modern state?"

"Although the concepts of nation and people were imposed on the Barat by the Victorians, they can still be considered as such... Father, given the current state of the nation, we cannot possibly support an expedition against Barat. Even if Barat were not independent and remained a British colony, it would be difficult for us to threaten the Victorians in such a way..."

Li Zongdi seemed somewhat resentful as he threw the bow in his hand to the ground: "I wasn't discussing whether or not to attack Bharat, you've steered the conversation astray! What I'm saying is that we can't abandon Singapore! The blood of the martyrs at Singapore Fortress hasn't even dried yet! Are we really going to settle for a humiliating existence with the Victorians?"

"We must compromise with the Victorians so that we can defeat the Federation! Father, this is the Warring States period. When Qin was expanding eastward, it was also compromising with other states when it fought against Zhao. The compromises we have now are for the sake of future victory."

Seeing that his father was already getting angry, Li Renchi immediately lowered his head and hunched his shoulders, but his reply was uncompromising: "Let's not talk about distant places, just look at the north. The armistice treaty between the Ursus Empire and Letania was negotiated and signed by us. How much land did the Russians cede back then? Those were all fertile lands in Eastern Europe. How badly was Vladimir criticized at that time? But they saw through the essence of the matter. Now that the Letania have been defeated, they immediately declared the treaty null and void, and all the land they lost was taken back at once."

"How can that be the same?!" Li Zongdi retorted angrily. "Isn't this gambling with the fate of the nation, and if luck allows, you win? What if Letania hadn't been defeated? How many people in the Ursus Federation, including Vladimir, would be nailed to the pillar of historical shame?"

“I didn’t say that you, Father, should gamble too. It is precisely because we cannot gamble with the fate of the nation that we need to seek stability now, that we need to compromise with the Victorians, that we need peace with the Victorians. There are primary and secondary contradictions, Father!”

"You're all birds of a feather, what are you talking about priorities?" Li Zongdi pointed his finger at Li Renzhi: "What guarantees do you have that if we give the Victorians some benefits, they will really compromise and stop the war? I was in a good mood today, but you ruined it all by contradicting me."